Qin Kou'er bowed deeply, which not only startled Lan Linxue, but also surprised Lan Shanyang.

Originally, Lan Shanyang's idea was that, given the current public outrage and the determination to take Lan Linxue's life, someone needed to step forward to protect Lan Linxue.

Only in this way can Lan Shanyang back down gracefully.

As a result, before he could vent his anger and before things could be arranged to that point, Qin Kou'er suddenly intervened, which was completely unexpected.

Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er with a half-smile on his face. He knew that when it mattered most, it was still his wife who would help.

Qin Kou'er raised her head, but looked at Lan Linxue with a solemn expression.

"Qin Kou'er, tell me, why did you thank the Crown Prince!"

Lan Shanyang walked slowly to Qin Kou'er's side with his hands behind his back. "Don't forget, the Crown Prince is very likely the one who started the destruction of the dam!"

Qin Kou'er smiled slightly and said calmly, "Your Majesty, have you heard about the extent of the damage to the Qinhuai River embankment?"

Lan Shanyang nodded, "It's said that the damage was very serious, and it took countless laborers to reinforce it and save it!"

Qin Kou'er immediately lowered her head and smiled, her captivating charm radiating effortlessly.

"Your Majesty, the official who said that is probably trying to get Your Majesty to pay more attention to Jiangnan. The truth is, the breached dikes of the Qinhuai River have only revealed a few cracks! Let alone tens of thousands of people, even ten people could easily fill them in!"

Immediately, because of Qin Kou'er's words, a buzzing sound began to rise again in the court.

This surprised Lan Shanyang, who exclaimed, "Oh! This is something I've never heard of before!"

Qin Kou'er nodded and continued, "What the officials tell the Emperor must be something of paramount importance to get his attention! If it's just a few small cracks in the Qinhuai River, how could the Emperor possibly care about it!"

Lan Shanyang looked at Qin Kou'er with an increasingly intriguing gaze: "Since it's only a little bad, Lan Linxue's misdeeds aren't exactly earth-shattering! But why did he do it?"

Qin Kou'er lowered her eyes and smiled, saying, "Because the Crown Prince wants to be the leader of the people of Jiangnan and ask the officials of Jiangnan for some benefits on our behalf!"

Upon hearing Qin Kou'er's words, Lan Shanyang suddenly understood what Qin Kou'er meant, and his eyes couldn't help but reveal his deep admiration for her. This little girl is indeed extremely clever and quick-witted; she truly has the style of the Qin family from back then.

Qin Kou'er continued, "After the Crown Prince arrived in Yangzhou, he went down to investigate the people's conditions many times. He found that many local officials behaved improperly, were incompetent, and were clueless in their duties! Later, when dealing with high-ranking officials in Jiangnan, he disliked their perfunctory attitude. When the rainy season came to Jiangnan, the Qinhuai River swelled again, and there was no one even asking for help. So, in a fit of anger, the Crown Prince may have acted rashly. Only by causing problems with the Qinhuai River's dikes could the Crown Prince have a reason and excuse to ask those officials for money to reinforce the dikes and bring some benefits to the people of Jiangnan!"

Qin Kou'er's words immediately revived Lan Linxue's die-hard fans, who began shouting, "The Crown Prince has had to compromise; His Majesty should understand his painstaking efforts!"

Lan Linxue looked at Qin Kou'er and almost laughed herself.

Good heavens, only his wife could say something like that. Back then, he was messing with those officials in Jiangnan just to cause trouble for Lan Xiuyuan. But now that his wife has said it, he's suddenly become a shining example, a good prince who cares for the people and the world.

Seeing Lan Linxue staring at her with an expression that seemed to say, "Wife, you're amazing, I want to die laughing," Qin Kou'er couldn't help but glare at him fiercely when no one was paying attention.

He's gotten himself into so much trouble; just wait and see how she deals with him later. Their feud isn't over yet!

Lan Linxue raised an eyebrow when she saw Qin Kou'er glaring at her, looking utterly smug.

Lan Shanyang looked down at the two exchanging glances, coughed twice, and then touched his nose with an expression that seemed to want to laugh.

Lan Linxue has such a magnanimous heart? Hehe, that's really not easy! He has never seen his son do such a glorious and great thing since he was born.

Qin Kou'er's little mouth can really come up with some really sophisticated and high-class talk.

"From this perspective, the Crown Prince's actions were out of necessity, albeit with some cunning methods!"

Before Qin Kou'er could finish speaking, she said, "Your Majesty! As far as I know, thanks to the Crown Prince's plan, officials and gentry in Jiangnan have contributed a total of 3,200,098 taels of silver. More than 20,000 people have benefited. These people not only received real money, but also escaped the floods that breached the dikes in those four counties. Even if they moved their entire families, they will be able to settle down and make a living in peace, without needing much additional subsidy from the court!"

That concludes Qin Kou'er's statement. As for whether Lan Linxue can retain her status as a member of the royal family, that depends on the Emperor's decision.

After hearing this, Lan Shanyang's expression softened considerably.

Qin Kou'er's words were far more righteous than the reasons given by the people he had arranged. Moreover, he now had the leverage to protect Lan Linxue. Lan Linxue wouldn't even need to guard the imperial tomb to fulfill her wish, relinquish her status as crown prince, and leave ample room for her to regain the crown prince position in the future.

Qin Kou'er is a really good girl! At least compared to other young girls and women, she is smart enough.

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